Sunday, May 23, 2004
The first term at my school is coming to a close. This past week I have been reviewing material instead of presenting new stuff. All next week is devoted to the mid-year examinations. One class got sassy – I walked out on them and went to the Staff Room until they came and asked me to come back. The other classes were all attentive, and their questions showed that at least some of them had been studying. I’m even encouraged to think that at least the better students have gotten beyond memorization into the realm of understanding. But I better wait to see the scores on my examination before I get too self-satisfied.
This weekend has been graduation for our seniors – called Form VI here. All the lines of stones bordering the drive have been freshly splashed with whitewash and every shrub has been given a crew cut. The seniors buy special clothes for the day, this class chose green shirts and gray pants. We had the District Commissioner here to give the commencement address, which was preceded by an equally long address by our headmaster. Unfortunately everything was in Kiswahili. Fortunately these were bracketed by songs and skits by the students, and we had also imported a troupe of native dancers that were quite good. No diplomas were given out, but the teachers got handed bonuses – 3000 shillings for each of their students who got an A, 1500 for a B. I wonder what the effect this has on grade inflation.
After the graduation ceremony all the students along with the teachers and parents trooped over to the dining hall for a big dinner of pilau and white rice, cooked banana and stewed meat, eaten with fingers as usual. There is a protocol for this finger eating. Hands are washed on the way into the dining hall and again on the way out. If you then meet someone between these washings, you offer them your wrist instead of your hand to shake. Food is only eaten with the right hand. Tradition has it that the left hand is used for other necessary but unsavory purposes – remember that paper is usually considered an extravagance here.
Then there was an evening party for the teachers. The guests of honor were still hanging around, so they were there too. The headmaster gave another speech and so did the Commissioner who then took questions from the floor about education policy. Seems a lot of teachers have had problems with their medical and pension plans, so there were lots of questions. And looong answers. All in kiswahili of course. Some party! But with music and a bag lunch and after several rounds of beer the room began to look less like a high school dance and there was activity on the dance floor. The first group of people on the floor were men dancing together. Then it turned into pairs of women dancing, men dancing, and finally a few couples. A woman invited me to dance, and during the dance a guy joined us so the three of us were dancing together. I stayed on for a while and cut out about 11:30. I think the music died out around 1:30am.
This weekend has been graduation for our seniors – called Form VI here. All the lines of stones bordering the drive have been freshly splashed with whitewash and every shrub has been given a crew cut. The seniors buy special clothes for the day, this class chose green shirts and gray pants. We had the District Commissioner here to give the commencement address, which was preceded by an equally long address by our headmaster. Unfortunately everything was in Kiswahili. Fortunately these were bracketed by songs and skits by the students, and we had also imported a troupe of native dancers that were quite good. No diplomas were given out, but the teachers got handed bonuses – 3000 shillings for each of their students who got an A, 1500 for a B. I wonder what the effect this has on grade inflation.
After the graduation ceremony all the students along with the teachers and parents trooped over to the dining hall for a big dinner of pilau and white rice, cooked banana and stewed meat, eaten with fingers as usual. There is a protocol for this finger eating. Hands are washed on the way into the dining hall and again on the way out. If you then meet someone between these washings, you offer them your wrist instead of your hand to shake. Food is only eaten with the right hand. Tradition has it that the left hand is used for other necessary but unsavory purposes – remember that paper is usually considered an extravagance here.
Then there was an evening party for the teachers. The guests of honor were still hanging around, so they were there too. The headmaster gave another speech and so did the Commissioner who then took questions from the floor about education policy. Seems a lot of teachers have had problems with their medical and pension plans, so there were lots of questions. And looong answers. All in kiswahili of course. Some party! But with music and a bag lunch and after several rounds of beer the room began to look less like a high school dance and there was activity on the dance floor. The first group of people on the floor were men dancing together. Then it turned into pairs of women dancing, men dancing, and finally a few couples. A woman invited me to dance, and during the dance a guy joined us so the three of us were dancing together. I stayed on for a while and cut out about 11:30. I think the music died out around 1:30am.
